Illogicist – The Insight Eye
Willowtip Records – WT051 – July 10, 2007
By Jason Jordan
Aside from the phenomenal
Odious Mortem record, Willowtip was quiet the entire first half of 2007. Since Willowtip and Neurotic recently joined forces, however, look for a whole slew of technical death releases to hit the second half of the year, beginning with
The Insight Eye from Italy’s
Illogicist. Considering the label has always favored quality to quantity, it’s unsurprising that the sophomore installment in the
Illogicist saga is an incredibly satisfying listen for tech death followers, even if it sometimes comes across as an exercise in
Death worship.
One of the main selling points, if not
the selling point, is the fact that the revered Marco Minnemann (
Necrophagist) sits behind the kit. And, as usual, he turns in an excellent performance. Though less notable in a sense, the other musicians are also stunning, but the fact that tech death metal calls for technicality results in the listener expecting skills of the highest caliber anyway. While there’s a general
Death feel to many of these songs, it’s not until
‘Be My Guide’ that
Illogicist lay the
Death sound on thick. The vocals, riffs, tempos, and drums all point to Schuldiner’s brainchild circa
The Sound of Perseverance. Nevertheless, if you can get past those similarities, you’ll be fine. Plus, with eight tracks that span 41 minutes, this offers plenty of bite for the bucks.
In the past few years, Willowtip has become one of metal’s most consistent labels. An album like this is yet another reason why they’ve ascended to such heights.
Odious Mortem’s
Cryptic Implosion may be superior, but it’s also a more modern take on the style, so for those into more traditional tech death,
Illogicist’s
The Insight Eye will do you right. Both get a thumbs up, though.
Official Illogicist Website
Official Willowtip Records Website
